Pteraichnites' and their implications for pterosaur terrestrial palaeoecology and evolution

翼龙化石及其对翼龙陆地古生态学和进化的影响

• 批准号: 2609696
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Leicester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2021 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2609696
• 关键词: Pteraichnites; their; implications; pterosaur; terrestrial

Pterosaurs, Mesozoic flying reptiles, were long considered to have been almost exclusively confined to aerial niches, with only limited mobility when on the ground (Unwin, 2005). Two lines of evidence have challenged this view: (1) a rapidly accumulating and increasingly diverse pterosaur track record (pteraichnites) that spans more than 80 million years; (2) digital modelling, based on skeletal remains and tracks, of pterosaur's terrestrial locomotory abilities. These studies show that pterosaurs used a flat-footed, four-legged, but nevertheless highly efficient, stance and gait. They have also uncovered some unexpected behaviours, such as a quadrupedal launch, that point to a far more effective ability to take-off and land than previously suspected. These new findings suggest that pterosaurs played a much bigger role in Mesozoic terrestrial communities than previously realised (Witton, 2013), but the extent and evolutionary significance of this phenomenon remains unclear and controversial.This project will use a multidisciplinary approach to reassess the contribution of pterosaurs to Mesozoic continental biotas and their impact on co-evolving groups such as early birds (Benson et al, 2014). New techniques including photogrammetric ichnology will form part of the first systematic analysis of the pterosaur track record. This work will generate a range of data sets that capture fine detail of prints and tracks that can be combined with contextual data including sedimentology, stratigraphy and associated ichnological and body fossil evidence. These data sets will underpin three complementary strands of the PhD: (1) reconstruction of the locomotory styles and abilities of pterosaurs (stance, gait, speed, take-of and landing modes) based on key sites in the USA and Europe. (2) The first comprehensive integration of the ichnological and body fossil record of pterosaurs via 3D digitisation of prints and well preserved skeletal remains. (3) Identification and reconstruction of specific behaviours (e.g. feeding, flocking) set within current interpretations of the palaeoenvironments in which they occurred. Results of these three studies will be combined with data on the relationships and temporal and biogeographic distribution of pterosaurs to determine the extent to which they contributed to Mesozoic terrestrial biotas and influenced the evolution of contemporaneous groups such as birds.

翼龙，中生代飞行爬行动物，长期以来被认为几乎完全局限于空中壁龛，只有有限的流动性时，在地面上（昂温，2005年）。有两种证据对这一观点提出了挑战：（1）一个跨越8000多万年的快速积累和日益多样化的翼龙轨迹记录（翼龙）;（2）基于骨骼遗骸和足迹的翼龙陆地运动能力的数字模型。这些研究表明，翼龙使用平足，四足，但仍然非常有效的立场和步态。他们还发现了一些意想不到的行为，例如四足发射，这表明起飞和降落的能力比以前怀疑的要有效得多。这些新发现表明，翼龙在中生代陆地群落中发挥的作用比以前认识到的要大得多（Witton，2013），但这一现象的程度和进化意义仍不清楚且存在争议，本项目将采用多学科方法，重新评估翼龙对中生代大陆生物多样性的贡献及其对早期鸟类等共同进化群体的影响（Benson等人，2014）。包括摄影遗迹学在内的新技术将成为对翼龙足迹记录进行首次系统分析的一部分。这项工作将产生一系列数据集，捕捉印刷品和痕迹的细节，可以与上下文数据相结合，包括沉积学，地层学和相关的遗迹学和身体化石证据。这些数据集将支持博士学位的三个互补链：（1）基于美国和欧洲的关键地点重建翼龙的运动方式和能力（姿态，步态，速度，起飞和着陆模式）。(2)通过对脚印和保存完好的骨骼遗骸进行3D数字化，首次全面整合了翼龙的遗迹学和身体化石记录。(3)确定和重建特定行为（如觅食、群集），这些行为是在当前对它们发生的古环境的解释范围内确定的。这三项研究的结果将与翼龙类的关系、时间和地理分布的数据相结合，以确定它们对中生代陆地生物多样性的贡献程度，并影响同时期鸟类等类群的进化。